Category: wedding inspiration

Williamsport DiSalvos Wedding | Meghan and Patrick | Kindergarten Sweathearts

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They were Kindergarten sweet hearts….. or at least they MET in kindergarten, and in my book, as a kindergarten teacher, that’s the same thing.  I like to imagine that Patrick used to draw Meghan hearts during art class, and that Meghan wrote “Mrs Meghan Smith” on her Lisa Frank binder.  Whether or not those things actually happened, their love story is unique and pure. A love based on  nearly 20 years of friendship is one in a million.

The morning of September 2, Meghan and her 10 bridesmaids donned dresses and readied their clear umbrellas at the historic Genetti hotel in downtown Williamsport.  Meg was radiant despite the drizzle, because cool brides don’t let a little rain ruin their day 🙂

Patrick was all smiles as he watched Meghan walk down the aisle towards him.  After the vows and rings were exchanged, we went to Stevens Elementary school, which is, YES, the school where they met one lovely fall day.  And I cannot stress enough how much I loved this!  Every little bit.  We followed up with portraits at Ways Gardens and then strolled through downtown Williamsport before heading to DiSalvo’s restaurant for the reception.  Beautiful dances, a dessert ROOM, and some night portraits rounded out our day, the first day for Mr and Mrs Smith!

I am so beyond happy for Meghan and Patrick! Continue reading “Williamsport DiSalvos Wedding | Meghan and Patrick | Kindergarten Sweathearts” →

Pennsylvania Weddings | Kissing the Pose Goodbye | Why Un-posed is the Best

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windblown bride and groom in Selinsgrove PA at the river walk

I find relief and peace knowing that I am not the right photographer for everyone. It makes me feel incredibly lucky that the couples who have chosen me have done so due to a love for my product.  They don’t book me because I’m cheap (because I am not) or because I can teach wedding guests any and every dance of the times (Whip Nae Nae, Cupid Shuffle, Wobble- I got you), although I do list that under my skill set; but rather, they book me because of the photos I produce.

Now that seems so easy, right?  Nope.  Not even a little.  I cannot just take a lovely photo of someone and call it a day.  So much prep work goes into creating these photos, much of it started months if not a year beforehand.  I cannot get results unless I have a relationship with my clients- call me awkward, but I know myself. We chat, exchange emails, grab pizza, work together on their engagement session, and even exchange Christmas cards.  By the time we get to the wedding day, we have usually met in person twice and exchanged dozens of emails; 21st century pen-pals.

I know the style of photos I want, and I know that this is the same style of photos my client wants!  We want un-posed.  We want real.  We want emotional.  And honey, there ain’t no way to get that on a wedding day without a prior relationship—- and trust.

So why is this un-posed style the timeless favorite?  And what even is it?  Let me lay it all out for you- when I aim for un-posed, I am looking for the little fraction of a second shows true personality.  Maybe I have just told my couple to walk towards each other and embrace.  Awesome.  Lovely!  Beautiful photo.  But I don’t have what I want.  So I tell the groom to whisper sweet nothings into his bride’s ear– and I say it just like that!– and I get the most lovely, real life reaction of laughter and joy.  Because come on, did you ever expect your wedding photographer to say that?  So now I have the groom saying “ummm ummmmm” and the bride cracks a megawatt smile and pulls her face away, laughing with her twinkling eyes locked on her husband.  And that is it.  That’s the photo.  It’s the one that has captured the essence of a relationship.  And it’s the one that will bring all the feels.

This isn’t to say that every photo is laugh out loud funny, this was simply an example of how I work to capture the little in between moments— the ones my couples don’t expect me to capture!  And for the sake of this post, laughter is what I will focus on.

At it’s core, “un-posed posing” is a way of bringing photojournalism to portraits and it’s just about my favorite thing.It’s not everyone’s style…. and thank goodness!  I love variety.  If every photographer was a clone of me, 1) I would be out of a job and 2) photography would be so incredibly boring.  The way I see it, life is un-posed…. and it’s pretty great that way.

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Front Street Station Wedding | Amy + Derek | Selinsgrove Wedding Photography

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Have you ever wished to experience the 4 seasons in just 8 hours?  It’s not something I can say happens too often, but Amy and Derek picked a once in a lifetime day for their wedding.

Amy and her girls got ready at her house, AC blasting on a rare 75 degree mid November day.  The sun was streaming through the windows as hair was pinned and dress was fluffed.  We headed down to the river walk along the Susquehanna for her first look with Derek, and by the time they had turned and seen each other for the first time, sweeping tears from cheeks, dark clouds were moving in and what remained of the autumn leaves were being whipped from their branches.  We endured a gale force wind storm along the river for portraits and made it to the church just in time for the skies to open up.

Thunder and lightning lit up the sky outside as Amy walked down the aisle.  They said their “I Do’s”, danced on over to the Front Street Station for their reception, and ended the night kissing in the snow.

Amy and Derek are two of the kindest people I have had the privilege to work with.  While they may seem laid back, their passion and love for one another led to many tears of joy throughout the day.  This was an incredible day for so many reasons and it is one I would not have wanted to embark on with anyone else.

Continue reading “Front Street Station Wedding | Amy + Derek | Selinsgrove Wedding Photography” →

Best Of Wedding Photography | 2016 Highlights

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It’s  been a whirlwind of a year.  I cannot do it justice by attempting to put it into words.  As a world, 2016 was horribly tragic.  Sometimes I feel guilty having found so much joy in a year that for some was unbearable.  And yet I am reminded of how incredibly lucky I am that my dream job is centered around people’s happiest moments. It’s hard to focus on negativity when your days are filled with love.

The last couple of days I have been going through photos from this year (over 66,000) pulling some moments that spoke the loudest of my year.  Now, when you have 66k photos to pick from, it can be overwhelming to the point insanity.  To fully display an accurate depiction of my year, this blog post would span pages and pages of internet space, and so I have cut it down to just a fraction.  Usually my favorite moments have to do with details or emotion—- anything that creates a story.  And always. they are just photos that represent a bigger moment happening on the other side of my camera.

I am truly thankful for each and every person who has believed in me and dreamed along with  me.  I am especially thankful to Danielle Lutz, Elizabeth Mae Smith, Sarah Canning, Monica Mendoza, Nellie Morgan, and Anna Trayer for shooting along with me this year.

Cheers to 2017!

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Berwick Wedding Photography | Molly + Jay | Allie Skylar Photography

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Bride and groom kiss under an umbrella on their wedding day in Berwick Pennsylvania

Please, just two hours.  Just two hours of no rain.  I woke up Saturday morning, October 1st, and uttered these prayers along with so many other wedding goers.  You see, shooting a wedding in the rain isn’t what I would call fun.  I’ve shot many rainy weddings, and it can be done, very successfully I might add.  But Molly and Jay really needed dry skies.  Molly’s dad had built a beautiful arbor for her and Jay to stand under.  Their best friends had cut fresh flowers from the garden that morning for decorations.  Cakes were being made, flowers were being driven in from Brooklyn, a wedding dress was being picked up from the shop, and signs were being painted. After 2 years of both Molly and Jay battling cancers, cancelling and rescheduling their wedding, and watching their lives take a very different course than expected, they really needed clear skies to stand under as they said their “i do’s”.

The morning of October 1st came just 8 weeks after Molly and Jay decided to celebrate their love in front of family and friends. They had been married the previous spring at the courthouse amid a crazy season of illness.  Molly says, “It was April and we had been engaged since September. We had both been recently diagnosed (with cancer) and it was a really stressful time in our lives- everything felt totally unstable. I remember just telling Jay out of the blue that I wanted to get married- like tomorrow. He instantly got on board and we were in the courthouse 2 days later…. I found a dress in my neighborhood for $50, grabbed some cheap flowers from a deli (really), and headed out. Afterwords we went bar hopping in the city and out to dinner with friends. It was so much fun, so spontaneous, and completely lifted our spirits.”

As Molly walked down the aisle holding onto her brother, the newest chapter of her life was being written.  Jay stood under the arbor, with Molly’s Father’s arm wrapped around his shoulders, and when Molly and Jay held hands, it was just the two of them.  There was no room for illness, pain, or struggle.  There was no thought of Cancer.  It was not invited.

You see, love really does win.  Molly and Jay are living, breathing, dancing proof of that.  The families and friends who worked tirelessly with them to bring Molly’s dream of a fall inspired wedding to life is proof of that.  The collective prayers of guests, crazy photographers, and strangers to interrupt the scheduled rain, is proof of that.  Yes, Molly and Jay have been dealt the short straws in certain areas.  But as they swayed on the dance floor under glowing lanterns and twinkling lights, I felt nothing but joy and happiness for them.

I would like to take this moment to point out that it did rain on October 1st.  After the ceremony, we skirted away from the guests and found a beautiful field for some portraits.  The skies opened and a light rain fell. And guess what?  It was perfectly imperfect in every single way.  Rain has a way of making everything quiet and still; of turning our minds off to distractions and focusing us as clearly as a single rain drop.  Molly said it was one of her favorite moments of the day, and remarkably, quite romantic!

Read on for comments from Jay and Molly, and enjoy some of my favorite photos from their day!

Unfortunately at this time, Molly and Jay are still struggling with their illnesses.  Molly begins a new treatment later this week.  If you would like to donate to their gofundme to help pay the cost of their staggering medical bills, click here.  And please share!  No one should have to bear the burden a one-two-punch like this alone.

Continue reading “Berwick Wedding Photography | Molly + Jay | Allie Skylar Photography” →